Happy Mistakes
by Akki45
Summary: Mistakes are not always bad things as Link soon finds out. One-shot, Zelink, post TP, rated T for more mature themes.


All of the characters and the original story of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are owned and copyrighted by Nintendo.

Happy Mistakes

by Akki45

It had just been two months. It seemed like an eternity, though. Two months had passed since I had returned to Ordon and every second had felt like torture. Something inside of me no longer felt comfortable here. It didn't make any sense, not feeling comfortable in your childhood home, but that is exactly how I felt. I suppose I had grown accustomed to having the wide world of Hyrule laid out before me beckoning for me to explore every nook and cranny. Even Epona seemed to miss the vast expanses of fields where she could let loose of all her energy and run as fast as she possibly could. Now we both felt stifled in these claustrophobic foothills. We were both underwhelmed by the mundane tasks we had to preform. Nothing was a challenge anymore. I had thought about setting off on a new journey several times since getting back but I could never garner the will to tell my adopted family, the villagers of Ordon, that I would be leaving again. So, I remained there; still suffocating in the open air.

On a particularly nice sunset, I was sitting in the fields where the goats are kept. They had long been corralled but I stayed behind to enjoy the serenity of the waning day. The evening star glimmered in the beautiful orange hues. Something in those colors reminded me of my now infamous adventure. It didn't bring me pain. No, if anything, I relished the memory of the freedom and the excitement. Naturally, I didn't relish in the bloodshed or those awful dungeons, but the adrenaline was intoxicating. As I savored the memories and the sweet night air, I heard footsteps approach. It was Ilia. She invited me to dinner with her and her father and I gladly accepted. She had grown up quite a bit, but there was something different about her. No, the only thing different was me. I had outgrown Ordon and I think I may have outgrown Ilia. She was my childhood sweetheart and a reminder of what could've been had Zant never entered the Light World. Now, though I still cared for her deeply, she had taken on the role more akin to a sister. I think she knew this as well. She had seemed hurt when she first realized it, but I suppose she got over it. She certainly didn't seem to hold a grudge.

When dinner was all done with, I exited the Mayor's house and began my short walk to my own house. I looked up into the night sky and I was reminded of something. My entire body began to feel warm as the memory played behind my eyes as if it were happening all over again. Yes, it was on a night just like tonight. The memory of that night, two months ago, is what seemed to keep me content even when I was unhappy with the rest of my day.

I was already awake when the first rays of dawn began to show. As I watched the deep blue sky turn a hazy yellow, my thoughts turned to Midna for some strange reason. I missed her, I began to realize. As I continued to prepare for my day of monotonous work, I began to contemplate our relationship. I suppose, given some time, we could have been something more then friends. Perhaps, she had thought we were. Honestly, though, I still remember her better as the sarcastic little imp than the beautiful Twilight Princess. It was difficult to think of someone in a romantic way when your mental image of them is a three foot imp with fangs and hair that could turn into a hand. The various amusing moments we had came to mind throughout my morning routine.

Despite the thoughts of Midna, the memory of that one night, two months ago, stayed in the back of my mind popping up every now and then. That night had happened just days after Midna shattered the Twilight Mirror so there was definitely a connection, but I felt there was another reason why this memory was staying with me for the day. I just couldn't quite place it.

Lunchtime found me daydreaming that one dream over and over again. It was Fado who did the finding, actually. He tapped my shoulder to tell me to go to lunch and teased me a bit when he saw my sheepish expression. It was a little embarrassing to be caught in such an intimate memory, but I suppose it was my fault for entertaining it. As I walked home, I stopped by Mayor Bo's house for the weekly mail delivery. I typically never got much mail, but sometimes Telma, Shad or various other people I met in my journey would send me things. This week, I had three letters. I opened the first and read. It was just Barnes advertising some new explosive. The second was an update from Shad telling about his trip through the Temple of Time ruins. It was then that I noticed that the Mayor and a couple of other mail collecting villagers were watching me in anticipation. That's when I looked at the last letter. It was a higher quality paper than the other two and the address was written in beautiful, flowing calligraphy. Then it hit me. Today, it was exactly two months since that one night. I tore into the letter, not paying attention to the official wax seal. I knew who it was from. Everyone looked at me strangely as I read it, but I suppose I must have looked strange having gone from normal to overjoyed to dead pale. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

I read that letter over and over again, yet I couldn't quite grasp what it was saying. Sure, it was written plainly enough, but my mind just couldn't wrap itself around the very idea. I had managed to stumble out of the Mayor Bo's house and was walking towards my own house in a stupor. I was in such a daze that I failed to notice Rusl approach me. I also failed to notice when he snatched the letter from my hand and started to read it. When I finally did catch on, he and Ilia, who had also arrived without my knowing it, were reading it.

"Let's see here..." Rusl said slowly as if he were savoring it.

"What does it say?" Ilia asked curiously, trying to peak over his shoulder.

"Something about a romantic night two months ago under a clear starry night," he said slowly, enjoying my embarrassment. I made a leap for the letter but Rusl dodged in time and I ended up falling on the ground face first. Ilia laughed. Whether she was laughing at me or at the contents of the letter I wasn't sure.

"This woman says that she misses you, she loves you, wants to see you again and that she's scared... and that... that she's pregnant?!? Link! You got a girl pregnant?!?" Rusl exclaimed. He was definitely angry. Ilia was also giving me a nasty glare.

"How could you?" she said angrily.

"Look, it was a lapse in judgement. I mean, she was... and I was..." I couldn't put what I wanted to say into words. I was still trying to get my head around the idea that I was going to be a father. Rusl shook his head and returned to letter.

"She wants you to come see her as soon as you are able to."

"You are going to do the right thing, aren't you?" Ilia asked in a way that didn't allow for anything but the answer she wanted.

"Well, go ahead and get packed. I'll see if I can cover for you at the ranch while you go and take care of this mess. I'll ask Uli and Ilia to clean up your house a bit while your gone so that it'll be presentable for you new wife," he said with an emphasis on 'wife'. The morals of a small village are always very strong.

"I don't think she'll want to come here..." I said trying to find a way to tell him that...

"What are you talking about?" Rusl said going back to the letter. He scanned over the last of it which mostly held specifics about my trip to see her. Then he went pale.

"What is it, Rusl?" Ilia asked.

"This letter is signed by..." He swallowed. "...Princess Zelda."

"...Princess Zelda?" Ilia stared at me bewildered. I could only duck my head in embarrassment. "You slept with the princess?!?"

"Link! How in the goddesses' names did you manage to sleep with and impregnate our sovereign monarch?" Of course, I wasn't going to tell them every detail. I wasn't about to tell them about how we were returning from the desert after Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight when we noticed how romantic the clear night sky was on a pleasantly cool night and how we enjoyed each others warmth. I wouldn't tell them about how we both seemed to be taken by a sudden and startling passion. So I stayed quiet, snatched my letter back and sulked back into my house.

News got around the village quickly. The reaction I got varied by age and gender. None of the younger ones really understood what was going on other than I was going to be a dad and I needed to go see the mom. The adults, well, the women were angry and the men were somewhere between reverent and scared of angering their wives. I walked to and stepped inside the sundries shop and bought what I needed for the trip all the while avoiding the glares from Sera.

By the next morning, I had said my farewells and was off to the castle. It took me two days to make the trip, giving me plenty of time to contemplate my situation. Sure, I was scared about becoming a father. I could face monsters many times the size of a house and evil beings hell-bent on conquering the world, but the thought of becoming a father somehow terrified me. The Triforce of Courage apparently only worked in battle or when the world was in peril.

I managed to get into town without too much of a fuss. Of course, there were a few who knew of me and my adventures who pointed me out, but I managed to get past them pretty quickly. I decided I should stop and get cleaned up at Telma's. I also made a point to hear the latest gossip. Apparently, no one knew that the princess was pregnant and I wasn't about to break the news. I then took my leave of the bar and began my walk to the castle. I was practically shaking in my boots. I decided that it was odd that I was more scared when the castle held the woman carrying my child than when it held the King of Evil and his minions. The guards at the gates recognized me and let me in. A man escorted me into a dimly lit room and had me sit. I looked around nervously and saw no one. I tried to settle my nerves, but I was far too anxious. Suddenly, the door opened and quickly closed. I looked and saw the object of my dream-like memories and my current state of fear.

"Zelda?" I said tentatively. She quickly closed the gap between us and wrapped her arms around me.

"Link, I'm so glad you came." I held her close to me. We stayed like that for several moments. I was in a state of euphoria. I reveled in the scent of her gentle perfume, the feel of the soft fabric of her dress, and the warmth of her body. I think I was beginning to fall in love with her. That night may have simply been a night of misguided passion, a mistake, but deep within me, I could feel the beginning of something much more. The door opened once more. This time, an elderly man walked into the room and waited for us to break the embrace which I hesitantly did. She didn't completely remove her hands from my sides even as she turned to look at the man.

"So you are the one named Link," the man stated as he looked me over. I somehow felt inadequate under the gaze of this regal elder. "Forgive me, my name is Gilanth. I am Zelda's maternal grandfather." I looked at this man in a different light. I had forgotten that though Zelda didn't have any family in Hyrule, she did have family elsewhere. "I had come when I heard the usurpation had ended. When I arrive, I find that my granddaughter is pregnant. Now, do you care to explain to me how you intend to put this right?" He gave me the most intense glare I had received yet.

"Grandfather! Could you give us a moment, please?" Zelda asked sharply. He begrudgingly left the room mumbling about him leaving only because it was impossible to get her doubly pregnant. When the door had closed, she let out a long sigh.

"Link, I'm sorry about that. He can act a little overprotective. I assure you, though, it is only an act."

"He did bring up a good point, though. What do you want me to do? What will set things right?" I said as I pulled her into another embrace. She stiffened and pulled away.

"Link," she began seriously. "I've thought it through over and over again and I've found three options. The choice is yours." I didn't like that tone in her voice but I let her continue. "Option 1: You can leave and return to Ordon. You can pretend that this never even happened. I can raise the child on my own without too much difficulty." I definitely didn't like that option. I especially didn't like how her eyes brimmed with tears just talking about it. "Option 2: You stay with me until I have the child. Then we take shifts, if you will. He or she will stay with me until he is weened then go with you for a while. This can go back and forth until the child comes of age." That was slightly better, but it still felt wrong and it still seemed to hurt her. "Option 3: This one will take quite a bit of manipulation, but we can forge some birth records for you and make you out to be a nobleman by birth. That way, it would be possible for us to..."

"...For us to get married." I finished for her. She nodded. "What do you believe is best for Hyrule?" I asked. Ultimately, though I wanted to be selfish, I knew that the well-being of all of Hyrule could stem from this decision.

"Link, let me worry about Hyrule. You decide what you want. You deserve this one selfish moment." Zelda seemed to choke up.

"As do you, Zelda. I want to do what is right by you and by the goddesses. That would mean marrying you. I want to marry you, but I'm afraid that I would cause more harm than good. I'm no nobleman and I am definitely no king. I'm worried that i would just screw things up by..." She stopped me with a kiss.

"Link, I love you but you worry too much. Are you really willing to marry me?" Zelda asked looking me in the eyes. I fell into a sort of stupor when she kissed me and told me that she loved me. I could barely say my answer.

"Yes."

"Are you really willing to commit to being a husband and a father?"

"Yes, of course." I had finally gained a hold of myself.

"Then what is there to worry about?"

"I have no clue what I'm supposed to do! That's what I'm worried about! Besides, wouldn't it be better if you were married to a prince or something?"

"Link, I'm pregnant with the child of the Chosen Hero. Any man who would've asked to marry me before definitely won't now, be it out of disgust of me having another man's child or feeling inadequate in comparison to you. Besides, you are what the people want. The people want their hero."

"And what about your grandfather?" She rolled her eyes.

"He returns to his barony in Arcadia in a month or so. He's the kind of relative that tends to show up when its convenient or earns him points in public opinion. He holds no sway within the borders of Hyrule."

"So... what happens now?" I asked tentatively. She smiled and pulled me into another kiss.

"We get you ready to become Hyrule's new king consort."

Seven months later and here I stand holding the fruit of that night, now over nine months ago. Zelda stands beside me, her once rounded stomach now beginning to flatten. As I look into the big blue eyes of my newborn baby boy, I tell him, "You are my life now. You will be my greatest challenge and accomplishment." Zelda chuckles a bit beside me.

"Whoever said that our son will be your greatest challenge?" I look at her not quite understanding what she's saying.

"Perhaps our daughter will be a greater challenge. Surely you don't think that this boy will be our only child." I grow a bit pale as I realize what she is implying. I then laugh and turn back to the little squirmy bundle in my arms.

"Well, perhaps you'll get a little sister and then you'll both give me a run for my rupees." I smiled and he smiled back. My son stemmed from what I had thought was a mistake and perhaps it was, but it was truly a happy mistake.

Author's notes: In art and in other things, a mistake can sometimes lead to a better end product. These mistakes are dubbed 'happy mistakes' hence the title.

I had wanted to develop Link and Zelda's impromptu relationship more, but I couldn't find the right spot and I didn't want to slow the story down. If you can think of a way and a place to do so, it would be greatly appreciated.


End file.
